Golden days
by EmbraceTheMystery
Summary: Inej is back in town. Kaz invites her to stay at the slat. With him. Two Kinej oneshots. Fluff, mild spoilers for CK.
1. Chapter 1

*Mild Spoilers for Crooked Kingdom*

It was a cold night and Inej felt her stiff muscles already beginning to ache as she leapt over the rooftops of Ketterdam. Her city; though not quite anymore. She had come back the night before from a two week long excursion on _The Wraith_. She had conquered a slaver ship. She had saved 5 children. She had raised charges against the crew. Inej knew that she probably should have sliced them all up then and there, but she couldn't keep murdering people for the rest of her life. Her saints could only forgive so much. And she had needed to come back to Ketterdam anyway. She had so much left here.

As she landed on the roof of the slat, she gazed over the city she hated and loved. It held so many memories and so many turned away and slid through Kaz Brekker's window. He was already in bed, reading the reports from the crow club. She didn't speak with him as she entered. She knew he had noticed her and she would wait for him to ask her what she had found out. He had asked her to take Roeder and show him the best places to spy on the exchange. They had spent hours in the buildings surrounding the exchange and on the roofs.  
"Saw anything interesting?" Kaz asked, eyes fixed on his paperwork. She could hear that he was exhausted, but she knew he had been looking forward to her visit.  
"Just that the Stadwatch is even easier to bribe than I remembered." Inej answered. She quickly stripped out of her tunic and trousers, letting them fall to the wooden floorboards.

She slithered into the bed, the sheets blissfully warm against her cold limbs. She didn't touch Kaz. Neither of them could bare it for long, especially not him. It had been a surprise to her when he had actually invited her to sleep in his bed. It had been half a year since she had first gone to sea and every time she had returned she had gone to stay with Wylan and Jesper. She had seen plenty of Kaz when they worked together, but she hadn't made any approaches. He had to make the first move. And he had. Inej had stopped believing he would.  
One night they were working late in Kaz's study at the slat. That night when they had finished working, Inej had wanted to go back to Wylan's, as she usually did, but Kaz had stopped her.  
He had taken her hand. It was all she could ask for and it was already an overwhelming sensation. Inej had not been touched so tenderly, lovingly, longingly, by anyone else. She wouldn't have wanted it to be anyone else either.  
"You can stay with me tonight." Kaz had said. His voice had trembled, but his eyes were determined. "With you?" She aked, unsure of what exactly he wanted from her. "You can sleep here. In my room. Only if you want to." He elaborated. Inej swallowed. This was a big step."I want to."

Now, a year later, it had become a routine for them. Kaz would wait for Inej on the Docs when her ship anchored. They would go to the slat. They would have dinner with Jesper and Wylan, catching up. They would go back to the slat. And Inej would always sleep in Kaz's bed. They would not touch. They would talk. They would fall asleep looking at each other. And they would wake up in each other's arms. Somehow, it wasn't as bad for Kaz when he woke up with her already in his arms. He didn't stay once he was awake though, but Inej wouldn't ask for that. She wouldn't throw herself at him like some lovesick fanatic. She didn't choose to touch him, she was just naturally drawn to him and he to her.  
She didn't choose it, but she did relish it.


	2. Chapter 2

This was goodbye. Inej would leave him once again. It was a routine by this point, but it hurt nonetheless.  
Kaz woke up, Inej in his arms. He could smell her hair, her skin, she smelt like the ocean. He tried to stay like this, one arm under Inej's neck, the other over her waist. He made it for about one minute, before the image of rising water appeared before his eyes. He pulled his hands away, slowly. He tried not to wake Inej as he left the bed.  
The morning was ordinary. He washed, got dressed and did some paperwork until Inej woke up.  
They went to get waffles for breakfast. He told her about the dregs and how the crow club was running. She told him about her crew and the work they did, catching pirates and slavers.

"It's so frustrating. I bring the slavers before a judge, yet I know there won't be justice," Inej complained.

"That's why we make our own justice here. The judge of Ketterdam is a loaded gun," Kaz told her. Inej snorted.

"How poetic. Have you ever thought about being a writer, Kaz?" She said it with a laugh in her voice that made his stomach fall. If he were a poet, he would only write about her.

"What do you think I came to Ketterdam for? My career simply hasn't taken off, yet."

Inej smiled. Her hand was on the table, next to her plate of waffles and without thinking, he reached out to touch it. She started pulling her hand away, but when she realized what he was doing she stilled. He took her hand in his gloved one without looking at her. He noticed her breathing in and throwing her shoulders back, as if she was bracing for something. He squeezed her hand ones, then let go.

"How long will you be gone for?", he asked, quietly. She had her hands in her lap now, playing with a knife she had pulled from her sleeve. She looked up at him to answer, her fingers still playing the knife.

"I'm not sure. We can't go too far, or the storms will reach us. I'm thinking between 2 and 5 months, circling Kerch." The knife disappears in her sleeve again and she finishes her waffles.

Kaz paid for the meal and they left, ready to walk to the docks. They walked slowly, Inej paying attention to the way his bad leg stiffened when he put weight on it. Kaz tried not to let her see that it was getting worse. He would never hear the end of it.

When they passed what had once been the menagerie, Inej's step fastened slightly. Kaz still noticed it. He could read her better than anyone else. He would do anything to make sure that she could walk the streets of Ketterdam with ease. He could tell that she was watching their surroundings, probably looking out for Heleen or one of her old suitors.

"It's alright," he assured her, his voice low and quiet. "No one will hurt you." Inej exhaled shakily, her knife was back in her hand.

"It's stupid. I'm the wraith, I'm not scared of an empty house," she said decisively.

Kaz nodded.

"You are the wraith. That doesn't mean that you can't be afraid. It means that you survived more than other people go through in their worst nightmare. You're more than the wraith, you are Inej Ghafa. You are… amazing, Inej."

She turned towards him, her face caught between almost crying and almost smiling.

He held out his hand. She took it and they walked to the docks.

When they arrived at her ship, Kaz allowed her to hug him. She turned, ready to leave and he felt his stomach fall again, because seeing her walk away was like not being sure whether she would make it through an injury. He reached out, took her hand, turned her around to face him and kissed her. He felt her smile until she pulled away. He opened his eyes and she was already aboard the ship, waving at him. He turned and walked away, hoping that she would come back soon.


End file.
